It could sour you on beer

Americans down 6.3 billion gallons of beer a year without really knowing what's in the brew. You may think you know, but most large American macro-breweries are hush-hush about what goes into their pale, watery, low-alcohol (around 5 percent) beers. They care more about their bottom line and taking shortcuts to activate your taste buds than your health or your waistline.

It seems some of the suds that find their way to you from, oh, let's say the Rocky Mountains, contain ingredients that hardly reflect a brewer's art. Bad addition No. 1? Genetically modified high fructose corn syrup, a key player in our national obesity and diabetes epidemic.

How does this happen?

Well, American beers are regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, not the Food and Drug Administration, and can contain GMO rice, sugars and syrups; dextrose, maltose and corn syrup; plus caramel coloring class III and IV, which are classified as carcinogens; and food colorings FD& C blue No. 1, yellow No. 2 and red No. 40, all linked to asthma, allergies and perhaps hyperactivity. Throw in some alcohol and a little bisphenol A from the lining of the can or keg and this brew's not for you.

Certified organic beers, however, are not allowed to contain GMOs, nor do many European brews, and microbreweries tend to go for traditional ingredients. And you can always enjoy a glass of heart-friendly wine (one a day for women; two for men) if you're not at risk for alcohol-related problems.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is chief wellness officer and chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. For more information, go to sharecare.com